- Family : ZINGIBERACEAE
(GINGER FAMILY)
- Family (as per The Plant List) : Costaceae
- Species : Costus speciosus
- Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Cheilocostus speciosus (J.Koenig) C.D.Specht
- Vernacular name : Kust (Hin.); Naayi kabbu, Chengala koshtha (Kan.); Kottam (Tam.); Bomma kachika, Boga chika, Chengalva koshtu (Tel.); Gaigendalia, Gai gobra, Kena, Keuana, Cheki Kanda, Keu kand, Keogabkachya, Koukuka, Kokola, Keo (Ori.); Pushkaara (San.)
- Key identification features : An erect shrub with tuberous rootstock. Leaves are subsessile, spirally arranged, oblong. Flowers are in dense spikes. Bracts and bracteoles are oblong, red. Corolla tube long and spread-out distally, orbicular with a yellow center.
- Habit : Herb
- Flower, Fruit : July-December
- Comments : Often on hills above 900 m, gregarious by stream banks, shola floor etc. Also cultivated in gardens and for its medicinal value.
- Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
- Distribution Locality : Kolli Hills (Namakkal district), Shevaroy Hills (Salem district) (Tamil Nadu State); Kurnool district, Visakhapatnam district, West Godavari district, Srikakulam district (Andhra Pradesh State); Odisha State
- World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka, Himalaya, China, Malaysia, New Guinea, Taiwan
- Literature : J.L.Ellis, 1990- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 2; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 3 ; R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipal, Orissa; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (2). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
- Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Costus speciosus. Downloaded on 4 July 2024.
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